Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Paulaner Brauerei Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb

Good evening all. I'm back with another beer review after taking a brief hiatus to dabble in modern music assessment (which, if you're interested, can be found here). The problem with a degree course winding down is that the stress levels are at the highest they've ever been and I never seem to get enough sleep to prepare myself for the next day, so I invariably end up shunning beer reviews in favour of simply relaxing and drinking the stuff. Today I wanted to get back into the swing of things, so I took a quick trip to Tesco which furnished me with a few new offerings, including the subject of this post- Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, a hefeweizen from Paulaner Brauerei (Munich, Germany). I've tried this beer once before but can't remember it very well, so let's give it a proper review and see how it fares. Which, as always, is after the pic....

Yeah, I know it's not in a weizen glass. Just read the review!

Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb (5.5% ABV) pours a cloudy golden colour with a thick white head that retains itself well throughout drinking- classic hefeweizen appearance, always a pleasure to see! The aroma is quite subdued, with banana, yeast, some bittering hop aromas and a light sweetness in the background. Less of the herbal or spicy quality that hefeweizens can possess- the banana is the predominant aroma that comes through on face value, with subsequent draws unveiling more of the yeasty aspects and the malt-derived sweetness, which is very reminiscent of honey. There are also some faint orange/citrus tones that cut through the rest of the aromas just enough without being overpowering. The taste is more dynamic than the nose, with yeast, banana, cloves, orange and a sweetness similar to honey in the background. The finish is light and not particularly imposing, with some grape flavours residing in the aftertaste and the yeast adding a slightly dry element. However, this dryness does not command frequent sips of the beer, although the flavours certainly do! This beer is definitely not the most malty/yeasty hefeweizen out there, but it still brings along enough characteristic flavour to impress the palate. The mouthfeel is quite thick and the beer is well carbonated, with the odd bit of lacing present during drinking. Overall, a more subtle hefeweizen compared to equally popular examples of the style (Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen), but don't let that assessment imply that this beer shouldn't be spoken of in the same revered tones. It's very well-balanced and still has enough characteristic flavours and aromas to please any wheat beer fan, and would be perfect during the warmer months when, considering the atmosphere, yeastier hefeweizens or even a spicy Belgian Witbier would seem cloying. Definitely recommended!

9 comments:

Very true, no use in falling at the final hurdle! I've got my project supervisor/tutor eager for me to do a PhD involving speciation related research with ICP-MS, which I'm warming up to the idea of, and then I've also got my placement year supervisor interested in hiring me to do a part time masters and develop speciation methodologies. Both are pretty attractive offers, with the former based in Guildford and the latter in Nottingham. I feel quite lucky to have the options really as I know it's tough out there when everyone seems to have a degree now, so I'm going to apply for the Nottingham position when it's available and see what comes out of it

I'd say that's a wise choice. Don't lock yourself in to a long-term research position without having had that experience before-hand. I loved my masters year but needed a break from research; so turned down a phD opportunity. I've done a fair bit of MS before and its an enjoyable field. Part-time would be good as it gives you a chance to get some more workplace experience and a pretty much guaranteed job on completion, plus that phD will always be waiting for you if you decide to take it up afterwards. What was your dissertation on?

Exactly, I can't even begin to imagine how that world would pan out for me right now. Sounds encouraging, and as you said there's always the option to continue if it's what I want to do. My dissertation was on antimony speciation in natural waters, separating the inorganic forms using solid phase extraction cartridges with graphite furnace AAS detection. Had to set up the GFAAS from scratch as they had only just got it in the department and had no methods for it, ended up training people on it in my spare time between experiments up until two weeks before my last lab day when the radiators on the floor above leaked, covering the instrument in water and writing it off! Luckily the ICP-MS was free for the last week, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to conclude the project. Got my viva presentation on Monday, still need to run through it but I've got the PowerPoint prepared which is a start. Then after that it's two weeks of revising and exams and it's all over, which is incredibly hard to believe. What's your main field of work?

I'm now quality control at a cement works. My dissertation was single crystal x-ray diffraction of epidote samples from the natural history museum. Our vivas and presentations were separate. Be prepared for out of the box questions, any papers you've referenced are fair game.Sounds like you've got some good stuff to put on your CV and some good references too; so should be no bother finding employ whenever you're bored of academia!

Nice, I have only the most basic theory-related experience of x-ray diffraction but that definitely sounds interesting. Thanks for the advice, I learned that "fair game" concept during my first placement presentation after a barrage of questions that I should've known the answers to! Haha thanks, not there yet but I know there'll inevitably be a point somewhere down the line!

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About Me

This blog will showcase a series of ramblings about various beers I've had the opportunity to try. If my disjointed, poorly described musings can convince a few people to try something different, then I'll be immensely happy. Thanks for reading!